Litton murder case classified as first degree murder

First degree murder charges have been filed against a mother and her boyfriend in the death of 3-year-old Blake Litton.The new charges were filed on Nov. 15 in Morgan County Circuit Court against Jamie Litton and T J Presley. Blake Litton died in Feb. 16, of this year. His death was first reported as a hit and run.

First degree murder charges have been filed against a mother and her boyfriend in the death of 3-year-old Blake Litton.

The new charges were filed on Nov. 15 in Morgan County Circuit Court against Jamie Litton and T J Presley. Blake Litton died in Feb. 16, of this year. His death was first reported as a hit and run.

Litton and Presley were originally charged with second degree murder and child endangerment.

T.J. Presley reported the incident to police at 5:12 a.m. as a hit-and-run accident.

Presley allegedly told a Morgan County deputy that he stopped on the side of the road to allow Blake to use the bathroom during a trip to Presley's brother's residence in Sedalia. Presley told police Blake ran into the road and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Investigators were unable to find loose vehicle parts, tire tracks, blood and urine along the side of the road but found nothing to support that an accident had happened.

Following the autopsy, the case was ruled a homicide.

Much of the evidence presented during earlier hearings focused on Litton's behavior at work during the night and text messages sent between Presley and Litton between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. According to testimony by Morgan County deputy James Walker, Litton allegedly asked a co-worker "to borrow money to take her son to the hospital" after receiving text messages from Presley saying that said he "had lost it" when Blake soiled himself.

Other texts allegedly contained details about how Presley abused Blake. Presley took Blake and his younger sister, Faith, to Golden Age Nursing Home in Stover to visit Litton while she was at work.

Presley arrived at Litton's workplace around 5 a.m. and stayed for three minutes. Security footage shows Litton visiting with Presley. Litton allegedly took Blake's pulse before returning to work. Presley then drove to the site of the feigned hit-and-run with Blake and Faith. Prosecution alleges Litton did not call for an ambulance or police once Presley left.

Litton, whose shift was scheduled to end at 6 a.m., clocked out at 5:15 a.m. She then allegedly walked to a co-workers house to use a phone charger and was driven to the scene thereafter.